Lil woke to find herself in the motel room. Jason was next to her, propped
up on an elbow. He leaned down to kiss her good morning. "See, it wasn't so
bad after all, was it, babe?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
"No, I suppose it wasn't," she said, tired and sore. She sat up, taking the sheet with her.
"Come on, babe, I'm taking you home now," he said, swinging his legs over the bed and pulling on his boxers. She took the sheet with her as she walked across the room to the bathroom where she showered and then dressed. Jason drove her back to Piedmont.
When they pulled up to the house, Lil's heart froze in her throat. A police cruiser was parked outside the door. She kissed Jason and ran up the steps. "Mama? I'm home! I'm back!" A stern-faced man in the uniform of a county sheriff rose to meet her. "Mama?"
"Lillian Travis?" the man asked, apology written in his eyes.
"Yes? Where's my Mama?"
"Ma'am, maybe you should sit down," the sheriff offered.
"What's going on here?" a voice asked from the doorway. Jason walked in and stood by Lil.
"Your mother, Martha Travis, was killed yesterday," the sheriff started. Lil's eyes teared over and her knees gave. Jason caught her fall and carried her over to the couch where he sat with her. "A neighbor heard suspicious noises and came over to investigate after they had stopped."
"No, not Mama... what happened?" she asked through the tears.
"She appears to have been strangled, best estimation by a man, muscular build, with large hands. There is no sign of forced entry. Do you have any ideas as to who it could have been?"
Lil shook her head through her tears. "Nobody disliked my mama. I don't remember any men being around since my... my father left."
"How long ago was that?"
"I was eight, going on nine. It would have been just about seven and a half years ago," she said, shaking her head.
"Well, we're trying to get things settled, find the culprit. If there's anywhere that you could stay besides here, I'd suggest it. Do you have any family? Aunts? Grandparents?"
Lil shook her head, looking away from the sheriff in shame. "Well, Miss Travis, we'll be in touch." The sheriff looked at the young girl once more, wishing he could take her home to his wife and take all the troubles from her life. He straightened himself and let himself out.
"Oh, babe, I'm sorry," Jason said, moving a strand of blonde hair from Lil's face. She looked at him, eyes bloodshot, and suddenly threw her arms around his neck. He stood, pulling her up with him, and held her close. "I shouldn't have kept you out so long," he started.
"No, don't say that. What if I had been here? I was just thinking that the last thing that my mother said to me was for me to get back in the house. She probably wouldn't even recognize me now."
"You don't have any other family, Lil?" he asked, tilting her chin up so she would look him in the eye.
She shook her head and replied, "No. I've never known my mother's parents, and she was an only child. My father's family disappeared when he did." Jason watched as Lil started walking around her house. She shivered, feeling so alone in the world. She went to her mother's bedroom and could smell the faint scent of her perfume. She took the picture of her mother off the wall and felt something taped to the back. She turned the picture over and found, folded up, the letter her mother had written so long ago.
"Quint left Lillian and I yesterday. She's nine years old now. Six years younger than I was when I gave birth to her. My parents wanted nothing more to do with me after I discovered my pregnancy. Quint and I ran off to his family's farm, here in Piedmont. I didn't realize then that what he felt for me wasn't love. As Lillian got older, I realized how demented he is. Once he actually asked me to let Lillian come to bed with us. I finally got enough bravado to tell him that he was mentally ill and that he needed to leave her alone. He turned violent and it took all I had to keep him from seriously hurting me. I ran to the end room and took out the pistol I had hidden there. I told him to leave. I told him that I wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he took one step toward Lillian's bedroom. He must have seen that I was serious because he went into our room, came out a few minutes later with a suitcase and he was gone. Thank God he never actually did anything with her. I don't know how, but somehow I will take care of Lillian the way she should be. I can only hope that she will grow up without any of the stresses I had and still have."
Lil wiped her eyes as she looked up from the paper to see Jason standing in the doorway. "Did you find something?"
"My mother... I'll need to get preparations for a funeral," she muttered, realizing that her idol in this world was now gone.
"The sheriff came back just a minute ago and said that it was already taking place. It will be in three days."
"But who...?" Lil realized that she needed to just shut-up and be grateful. She didn't have the money to give her mother the kind of send-off she deserved. "Oh, Jason, what am I going to do?" she asked. "I have no family, no real friends, nothing..."
"Come with me," he replied. Lil looked at the boy, and saw a man in his place. She saw the only strong male attachment she had ever had offering her a way to rise above where she was. "We'll go to New York. I have some friends who will help us get set up. Do what you need to here, get packed, if you would like, sell the house. We'll leave when the funeral is over." Jason had been laying his plan out, slowly walking toward her until he was standing just in front of her.
Lil threw herself into his arms, so grateful for what he was doing. She cried into his shoulder and he felt his arms encircle her. He had never planned to fall in love with Lil, only to change her into what he wanted, use her, and get rid of her. The pair walked back out to his car. Lil couldn't stand to be in the house any longer. She threw everything she owned and a few of her mother's things into two suitcases and left the house, never to return.
"No, I suppose it wasn't," she said, tired and sore. She sat up, taking the sheet with her.
"Come on, babe, I'm taking you home now," he said, swinging his legs over the bed and pulling on his boxers. She took the sheet with her as she walked across the room to the bathroom where she showered and then dressed. Jason drove her back to Piedmont.
When they pulled up to the house, Lil's heart froze in her throat. A police cruiser was parked outside the door. She kissed Jason and ran up the steps. "Mama? I'm home! I'm back!" A stern-faced man in the uniform of a county sheriff rose to meet her. "Mama?"
"Lillian Travis?" the man asked, apology written in his eyes.
"Yes? Where's my Mama?"
"Ma'am, maybe you should sit down," the sheriff offered.
"What's going on here?" a voice asked from the doorway. Jason walked in and stood by Lil.
"Your mother, Martha Travis, was killed yesterday," the sheriff started. Lil's eyes teared over and her knees gave. Jason caught her fall and carried her over to the couch where he sat with her. "A neighbor heard suspicious noises and came over to investigate after they had stopped."
"No, not Mama... what happened?" she asked through the tears.
"She appears to have been strangled, best estimation by a man, muscular build, with large hands. There is no sign of forced entry. Do you have any ideas as to who it could have been?"
Lil shook her head through her tears. "Nobody disliked my mama. I don't remember any men being around since my... my father left."
"How long ago was that?"
"I was eight, going on nine. It would have been just about seven and a half years ago," she said, shaking her head.
"Well, we're trying to get things settled, find the culprit. If there's anywhere that you could stay besides here, I'd suggest it. Do you have any family? Aunts? Grandparents?"
Lil shook her head, looking away from the sheriff in shame. "Well, Miss Travis, we'll be in touch." The sheriff looked at the young girl once more, wishing he could take her home to his wife and take all the troubles from her life. He straightened himself and let himself out.
"Oh, babe, I'm sorry," Jason said, moving a strand of blonde hair from Lil's face. She looked at him, eyes bloodshot, and suddenly threw her arms around his neck. He stood, pulling her up with him, and held her close. "I shouldn't have kept you out so long," he started.
"No, don't say that. What if I had been here? I was just thinking that the last thing that my mother said to me was for me to get back in the house. She probably wouldn't even recognize me now."
"You don't have any other family, Lil?" he asked, tilting her chin up so she would look him in the eye.
She shook her head and replied, "No. I've never known my mother's parents, and she was an only child. My father's family disappeared when he did." Jason watched as Lil started walking around her house. She shivered, feeling so alone in the world. She went to her mother's bedroom and could smell the faint scent of her perfume. She took the picture of her mother off the wall and felt something taped to the back. She turned the picture over and found, folded up, the letter her mother had written so long ago.
"Quint left Lillian and I yesterday. She's nine years old now. Six years younger than I was when I gave birth to her. My parents wanted nothing more to do with me after I discovered my pregnancy. Quint and I ran off to his family's farm, here in Piedmont. I didn't realize then that what he felt for me wasn't love. As Lillian got older, I realized how demented he is. Once he actually asked me to let Lillian come to bed with us. I finally got enough bravado to tell him that he was mentally ill and that he needed to leave her alone. He turned violent and it took all I had to keep him from seriously hurting me. I ran to the end room and took out the pistol I had hidden there. I told him to leave. I told him that I wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he took one step toward Lillian's bedroom. He must have seen that I was serious because he went into our room, came out a few minutes later with a suitcase and he was gone. Thank God he never actually did anything with her. I don't know how, but somehow I will take care of Lillian the way she should be. I can only hope that she will grow up without any of the stresses I had and still have."
Lil wiped her eyes as she looked up from the paper to see Jason standing in the doorway. "Did you find something?"
"My mother... I'll need to get preparations for a funeral," she muttered, realizing that her idol in this world was now gone.
"The sheriff came back just a minute ago and said that it was already taking place. It will be in three days."
"But who...?" Lil realized that she needed to just shut-up and be grateful. She didn't have the money to give her mother the kind of send-off she deserved. "Oh, Jason, what am I going to do?" she asked. "I have no family, no real friends, nothing..."
"Come with me," he replied. Lil looked at the boy, and saw a man in his place. She saw the only strong male attachment she had ever had offering her a way to rise above where she was. "We'll go to New York. I have some friends who will help us get set up. Do what you need to here, get packed, if you would like, sell the house. We'll leave when the funeral is over." Jason had been laying his plan out, slowly walking toward her until he was standing just in front of her.
Lil threw herself into his arms, so grateful for what he was doing. She cried into his shoulder and he felt his arms encircle her. He had never planned to fall in love with Lil, only to change her into what he wanted, use her, and get rid of her. The pair walked back out to his car. Lil couldn't stand to be in the house any longer. She threw everything she owned and a few of her mother's things into two suitcases and left the house, never to return.